Official BYC Poll: Do You Wear a Mask or Respirator When Cleaning Your Coop?

[LilRedmamma]

I don't wear anything, though I probably should. Depending on the cleaning (deep litter, monthly summer clean, dusting, etc.), I sometimes have to step out for fresh air. Spring cleanout is usually pretty rough. Adding shavings can be rough too, as it sometimes has a lot of dust.

I know it’s gone too long if I have to get out of the coop for a clean breath - it happens though.
My own experience years ago - that birds like geese and poultry carry histoplasmosis and ringworm from droppings. Most humans who are exposed don’t get sick, it’s a risk. For me, it’s more important to thoroughly wash my hands afterwards - even a minor bout of Campylobacter will convince the inexperienced.

 

[nuthatched]

Last time I did a medium cleaning without a mask, I got a sinus infection that took me 7 weeks and two rounds of antibiotics to beat.....
To be honest, the first round was amoxicillin, which I'm immune to.

 

[Lillith37]

I used to wear a mask when I had shavings in the coop. Now that I’ve switched to sand I don’t wear a mask. If I needed to treat the coop with pesticides I would wear a mask.

 

[Perris]

I poo pick every day so bad air issues don't arise.

If you need to wear a mask or other face covering when you're in the place you keep your chickens, spare a thought for your chickens having to breathe it in all the time. Small wonder there are so many posts about respiratory issues here.

Edited to add, or if your eyes get itchy, don't you think your chickens' eyes might too? Is it OK with you to leave them like that?

 

[Oob Child]

I have never but I should, the quail are on sand and I sift through it every day. So much dust comes out that I definitely should be wearing one.

 

[2theranch]

All the toxic things I've breathed in over my life coop "trash" is the least of my worries.

Everything around us is toxic so this does not seem that important and we never worried about it.

 

[Shadrach]

I clean the coop daily so there isn't much in the way of dander and dust. A coop like this means at worst one is exposed to a very small amount of dust when cleaning.
I really don't want chickens living in a dusty environment that I need a mask to work in. If the dust is bad for me then it's bad for the chickens as well.
If I had a large walk in coop I would definitely wear a mask.

 

[SmiYa0126]

No, no issues, I might sneeze afterwards but that's about it. I've inhaled cleaning fumes that are more toxic.

 

[Shabby Chic-Hens]

I do have some respiratory issues…
Do I wear a mask? Nope.
I also like the smell of a lot of cancer creating chemicals…

 

[ChickyWhicky]

I wear one now because I dont like waking up with a sore throat/chest and a cough.